Holder for card-indexes.



Pa tented Mar. 6, won.

D. E. HUNTER.

HOLDER FOB CARD INDEXES.

(Ayphcat on Med Nov 80 1896) No. 645,05l.

(No Model.)

, UNITED, STAT S.

PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID E. HUNTER, or CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS? HOLDER FoacARo-i'NnExl-ie.

rncrrrcarron forming part of Letters Patent no. 645,051, dated March a, moo.

- Application filed November 30, 1896. Serial No. 613,887. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern;

Beit known thatI, DAVID E. HUNTER, of

Cambridge, connty. of Middlesex, State of,

' Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement-in Holders for Card-Indexes, of which the following description, in connection with theaccompanyingdrawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts. V

ro My invention relates to improvements in the holders or receptacles for card indexes or catalogues, and has particular reference to the provision of an expansible locking member for locking the cards in their receptacle. :5 It includes also meanswhereby the followerblock or back card-support ispositiveiyheld on the locking member against movement in either direction and whereby said block is automaticallyengaged with said member and yet willyield to'permit sliding movement of 'the block along the locking member; and it further includes an improvement in the front and rear card supports or rests, whereby the tendency of the cards to climb up on said sup-' 2 5 ports is counteracted.-

Cards have been employed heretofore having openslots at their lower edges coeperatin g with a flattened lock-bar, the latter being turned on edgefor the removal of the cards ment wiiii the slot for the retention of the cards." Thisconstructiou requiresll'at the slot'inthe cards should have consderable depth in order that the rod may turn herein,

5 thereby seriously cutting into the-space of the card required for writing upon.

It is one object of my inventiontoprovide an expansible or laterally extensible rod, whereby shallow slots are sufficient in tr. e cards, thereby cconomiziug the'space of the cards available for records, indexes, 850., my improved lockingrod being further capable of firmly engaging the cards,j so asto hold them as definitely and tightly as desired.

Further purposes and advantages of my invention and the details thereof willbe more definitelypointed outin the followin g descri ption, and the invention will be further defined in the accompanying claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1, in top plan, shows my invention applied in operative relation to an ordinary drawer and cards and being turned fiatwise into 10.; e engage- Fig. 6 is a sectional detail takenonline 6 6,

Fig. 1'. Fig. 7 is'a top plan yiew, parts being broken away, showing another embodiment of my invention. '65 Reference-letter .A designates adrawer or card-receptacle of any usual or preferred kind.

In the preferred embodiment Of'm' tion I provide a compound locking-rod or a locking member 13, made up of two rods 1) b", connected together in parallel-.rulerfashion and suitably pivoted to permit the rods b b to swing together and apart. The locking member B is shown as centrally pivoted at either end on pivots b b ,"passed through the links b b the links consisting," preferably, of upper and lower plates, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and the rod b being cut away at b to permit, the rods bb' to ,be swung close together. A

link 1; serves tostrengthen the locking mem-,,8o

her between its ends; Preferably the rod bi is oftset at b", so as toextend forward at the middle of the drawer A, and is provided with a knob orfinger-hold O. The latter is specially consjructed to constitute a positive lock for the locking member B, at the "same time serving as the knob to pull outthedrawer.

' The knob C 'is centrally recessed at c to re-,

ceive a head b? on the end of rod 12'. The head is retained within the knob by means of go a threaded socket or nipple c", tapped into the knob and secured by a pin a". The free end ofthe nipple 'c' is adapted to bescrewed into abnshing D, fitted into the end of the, drawer A and having a central aperture dto 5 receive the rod b and nipple 0 when in locking position and a lateral recess dto receive the rod b when the locking member is in its contracted or collapsed condition. (Shown. by dotted lines in Fig. 3.) An escutcheon E' is :00 secured to the face of the drawer. Cards F, having elongated slots if, open at f at their lower, ed es, coeperatc with the locking memberB. See Fig. 4.)

g The parts being as shown in full lines in Fig. 3, ifit isdesired to release the cards the knob C is pulled, thereby swinging the parts on the fixed pivot b as-a center, the locking member assuming its dotted position, Figs. 3- and 4, permitting any or all of the cards to be lifted from the drawer.

' secure the cards and lock the saine,.the knob is shoved in and screwed into position against the escutcheon, as shown iniFig. 2,.irenderin'g it impossible to move thelocking member 13 in any manner.

-01? the cards.

A card-support or follower-block G of' usual shape is provided at the rearof the cards and has a central apertureg topermit it to receive and to he slid along the rods b b'. a

; Loosely mounted on the rear side of block G, and preferably in a recess g, (see Fig. 6,) isa'clamp'g' shown as a spring loosely en- 'cirelinga setscrew g and frictionallyengaged with rod by'means of .its oppositely-concavedfre'e ends gt'gr.

g slidesover. with it, and as. the block is shoved forward or back the, clamp 9? goes with it, having suflieien't frictional. grip on the rod 1), however, to positively hold the block against being moved by, the usual fingering "The front lower rearlower edge-of the block H are out 01?, as

" indicated a: h. I hayelfound that this eifec and grad tnally pre'ventsthe "ery objectionable tendf. ency of the endcards to creep up on the face v of-the endsupporting-blocks 'Hand G.

G have'Isloped downwardly to a sharp edge,

against which the'adjacentca i'ds would wedge lly creep up, sothatwhensubsequently't med backor forward for inspection the slotsf or other-openings or perfora- "tions would be torn out. By the provision of the undercutorretreating lower edges h the cardsare kept down in proper position .with- 2 the nods b] b I h'ave securedcam-plates 11 to out any'tendencyto creep or work-up. Referring to Fig. 7 it willbe seen that instead of pivotally mounting and connecting the rod 12, the two'rods b I) being longitudithe rodb' are free to travel.

nally movable relatively to the drawer and the follower G'havinga rigid stop 9 midway in the aperture -g. ,The cam plates U have inclined slots b. therein, inwhich pins b on It is obvious that as the rodb is pulledeit will slide along the b"'w i1lthen' pull the ro'd Zi'over against the stop g ythuscontracting the locking member B to its dotted position, Fig. 4-.

cards need be only wide enough 'v'ertic'ally to receive the slenderro'ds b and 1?; as shown in Fig. 4, and that theslots may be close to the lower edges {of the cards, my object beingto.

If it is desired to As the rodb is moved over' into its dottedpositiomFigB, theclamp rod'sgwhen desired,

edge of bloclr and the.-

,and means tomolve' saidparts.

save the valllable space of the body of the card for its primary use-via, for-entering records, &c.', upon-the large and deep slots hitherto necessary having seriously encroached upon the writing-space of the cards.

My invention provides a locking member which simply'expands to fill'theslot without being rotated and without requiring any extra spacein which to be moved, andby varying the lengthof 'the' nipple c or the depth',of the recess 0 the extent to which the rods 1) b are separated may be varied, so as toengage the slots f as tightly or loosely as may be desired.

As the locking member-B is simply expansible and does not turn, there is no tendency to wear ofi and break down the corners of the slots f adjacent the openings f. j 1

Not only doesthe clamp g hold the block G positively against movement inieither direction, but it also holds the block automaticallywherever placed and yet'yieldsinstantly to'permitthe block to be shoved along the '1 do not restrict my-invention to the details of Y construction shown,- inasmuch as many changes in form, proportions, andarrangcment may be resort i 'to without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having. described my invention, what I claim, and desire to s ecure by Letters Pat- 1. A card-holder forreceiving therein cards having ap'erture's,.and a locking-rod for en-, tering the apertures, said rod being movablelongitudinally and laterallyina the apertures. As heretofore constructed the blocks H and;

-' 2.] A c'ardiholder for 'receivin'gtlierein cards @having apertures, and a pairi oflocking-rods 'for entering the apertures, one of the rods being movable longitudinally 'and being also mov'able'laterally towardand away from the v otheri'od. a y

. 3. The combination witha card-holder, of a laterally andlongitudinally movahlerod adapted to-lock thecards'therein, and means to move and rod laterally'byitsmovement.

longitudinally..-

- 4. ,The combinatien with a card-holder, of I a longitudinally movableglocking member adapted to lock the cards thereimsaid locking member presenting. a less-e-fiective-width in one position than it does in another position, and means to move said lockingmembe'r longitudin ally,sai d-locking-member beingshifted from one to theother of its said positions by I 4 saidlongitudinal movement. slots 1) until'it-is moved inwardly against the stop gfland further movement ofthe rod.

5.. The combination with a card-hol deryof a locking member for card-indexes, comprisi prising two longitudinally -movable parts,

said parts to move toward andfrom each other,

an "expansibleandlongitudinally,- movable connections between said, parts'j permitting locking member for ca-rd-indexs-means-to expand the same,iand means t look-Said mefub her in expanded posi gi n a 7. A card-holder for re r th rein se having apertures, combined with a horizontally-pivoted link or plate, apair of parallel rods pivoted to said plate, and means at one end of said card-holder for turning said pivoted plate, thereby causing the spreading or bringing together of the parallel rods.

8. A card-holder, combined with a locking member for the cards, comprising a pair of parallel rods, and means for spreading and contracting said rods, said means including a link or plate centrally pivoted in the holder and connected at opposite sides of its pivot with said two roads, the turning of said plate on its pivot serving to spread or contract the rods.

9. In a card-holder, horizontally-pivoted plates at the front and rear 'of the holder, a pair of parallel rods pivoted to said plates, and means at the front of the holder for turn ing the front pivoted plate.

10.. The combination with a card-holder, of a' movable locking member, an aperture in the end of said holder, and-a knob loosely connected with said locking member and adapted to-be interlocked with said aperture, when interlocked said knob maintaining said locking member in fixed'locking position.

' 11. The combination with a cardholder, of a movable locking member, an aperture in the end of said holder, and a knob having limited longitudinal movement onthe said locking member, and means to lock said knob in said aperture.

12. .The combination with a card-ho1der,and locking member therefor, of afollower-block, and a spring-clamp mounted on said block and having cooperating opposite spring-jaws 14. In a card-holder, an end supportingblock for the cards, having a sloping face,

said sloping facebeing' cut away adjacent its lower edge or provided with an undercut portion.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses;

Witnesses:

Geo. H. MAXWELL, FREDERICK L. EMERY.

DAVID E IUXTERL u 

